Thank you sir for the video and review. Watching it had me add dishpans under my canisters which saved the day. Had a little too much media in one and had a small leak, discovered next day and pan had 1.5” of water in it and not on my wood floors. Thank you again.
you reminded me I hadn't cleaned my filter in several monthes. I broke it down and it was dirty, but I have seen it worse. I fill the bottom tray with mechanical media then bio in the rest.
Hi Jason, I have the same filter and it has worked flawlessly for over a year now. It's set up exactly as the pondguru sets his up. Course, medium and fine reticulated foam that he states and split the extra fine pad that came with the filter all in the bottom basket. 3 kilos of Biohome ultimate in the top two baskets. Lava rock will work great also but would take longer to cycle. I would recommend filling the baskets completely with foams and bio media. I have a smaller Sun Sun canister without a pump daisy chained on the intake hose that's filled with foams only and I put a purigen bag in top of the smaller canister. The smaller canister catches most of the detritus and really makes a difference. I service the large canister twice a year and it's not that dirty. The smaller canister is easier to service and this set up works best for me. I've noticed every time I service either filter air will get trapped in the system. Rocking both filters left, right, back and forth has worked for me. Make sure the o-rings are in good shape and not dried out. Your tank looks awesome and very clean. Good luck.
beerstore415 I have a turtle and aome fish in a 15 gallon tank. I have a filter but I feel the water could and should be more clear. Should I get rhis filter? Kinda new to it and watched a ton of videos but you seem to know what you are talking about :D
beerstore415 hey I have set up similar setup.. Top two trays 1.5 Litre of Seachem Matrix, Bottom tray has Ceramic Noodles, daisy chained HW 603 filled with foam.. bit I feel the water flow is no way near 1000 L/Hr ... It could be around some 300 to 400 L/H.. how is Ur experience
One little tip I would like to add, if you are having a hard time uncurling your tube, run hot water over it and it makes the hose easier to work with.
good tips. the smaller tubing help us who have a 5 foot column tank on a 3 1/2 foot stand. less water flow less stress on the pump. although your filtering nearly twoce the water. keep your sponges on top when doing quick changes, easier to get to.
I have a marineland c220 canister filter. Found that if the hose are not cut square and all the way to the threads when you tighten the plastic nuts. Air tends to be suck through the canister.
The filter intake is fed by gravity, putting it higher makes it perform less efficiently because you're slowing down the filling of the filter so its getting air in because its pulling water out faster than its filling.
Im planning on buying one of these filters, i saw you said the return piping sucks, good thing i ordered some ada glass return and glass inflow. Not so cheap but worth it
Hi Jason, thanks for the excellent video and explanation. I have the same sunsun 303B and experience the bubbles getting blown out despite removing all the air bubbles and ensuring no leaks. Mine is on the floor below the tank level and still blows air so I don't think the filter level could be the issue. Also the longer it runs the more air it seems to blow out so I presume maybe the bacteria in the bio media could be producing gases, unless the intake outlet fitting is allowing air in.
It's sad to see how so many people think this is a gravity thing and it has to be on the floor. It only has to be below the top water level. We can't escape physics, the return tube negates their "gravity" theory... I enjoyed this video 🙂
You modeled your intake off of the spray bar. To have better draw from the bottom of the tank you should have a single opening or perforated/slotted opening on the last say 1 1/2" of the intake. And I would recommend adding a pre filter sponge to avoid fry being pulled in and it adds additional mechanical and bio filtration. Besides that, nice video.
The air in your filter is due to cavitation, because the return line is less restricted than the out take coming from the tank. Reverse your hoses. And in addition, having the filter lower will increase the ability to siphon water out of the tank. Canister filters are primarily gravity fed and the pump is to return the water, not suction it the way that a HOB filter does.
From bottom up... you should use coarse/medium foam for the first filtration layer, bio media for the second, then the filter floss on top. Filter floss clogs pretty easily and that's why it should be at the top, and the coarse/medium foam at the bottom.
Susanne Ayotte you don’t have to rock it to get air out if you put it under the aquarium like it’s suppose to be. The Siphon isn’t keeping up with the flow. That’s why it’s getting air. With it under the tank gravity will work and make it easier on the pump and siphon and you won’t have the air problem. He doesn’t have his set up right. That’s why.
I had one of these 304B at about 6 months i started having problems th uv bulb melted the media baskets, it got leaky, the media it comes with is crap plain said, even after 2 weeks it was filthy inside like the walls & trays,the media dont seem to hold the waste,so after spending 30.00 on new media it got better,its loud.i finally got a fluval 306 its 3Times the filter the sunsun is ...its so quiet silent.. the tank has a crystal clear look to it it never had with the sunsun,matience is a breeze,great media i add 1 pouch of chemi pure its been over a year and the 306 is like the day i got it great filter.. just my review you really get what you pay for in a canister filter
I would use a different intake design as you want adequate flow direction which requires the intake to be further down concentrated close to the substrate
It is not recommended to Vaseline seals of filters, despite it being popular in the hobby. Overtime that actually increases your chances of the filter leaking. It is actually recommended to use silicone grease/oil. Also, I don't get why you have an empty tray in your filter in the first place? Why not do more lava rock or something else to maximize the use of the filter?
Thanks. Yes I would think so too and therefore have never used Vaseline. However, the other day I just happened to re-read the instructions on the box and the manufacturer has mentioned using Vaseline on the o rings.
The filter is making that noise because it is having difficulty in siphoning the water as it is kept at the same level of the aquarium. Further, the intake pipe is far away from the filter making it even harder to pull the water.
Thanks for your help Jason. I bought this filter and had it for weeks because it couldn't get it to work. After taking your advice and cutting the hose it worked. My water is now crystal clear and I think my fish are happy. Thanks again. You took a great stress off me. I didn't get that much help from other videos.
You know what? I really do LOVE both of my sun sun 304B's..and I did the same thing on my out put tube..the water flow is much better..BUT....The only thingI hate about my sun sun is that whenever I have to move ..like I just relocated in another city and I swear to you I have sooooo much trouble getting it to prime and I foloowed everyones advice on you tube!! It really gives me a hard time but only on one of my sun sun filter systems..Btw..You can make your own outputs with PVC pipe and drill holes in it...but I guess $7 aint bad..I like yours where did u buy that? Oh your tank is very clean good job!!
I uave this pump wiith all three trays full carbon, sponge,filter rocks on my 6x2x2 does brilliant but the flow is a work in progress to do the whole tank maby a water fan will do
I have the cf 500 uv filter which is a four stage filter and it has run like a champ for years I am using it on a reef tank at the moment and with over 5 solid years it has never leaked although the trays for the media are wearing out with debris passing through them this is my only complaint but I have miles on this filter! Simple tough and having a uv bulb to help with issues is a great feature! The flow is killer I have no complaints other than wear and tear on the trays they do disintigrate over time.
JDO Fishtank a lot of incorrect information and that's NOT the intake with all the holes Sir... but SUNSUN IS A GREAT canister filter if you use it below the fish tank and correctly.
If you watched the video I added a caption correcting myself on the intake, so what else am I wrong about? And if you watched my later videos you'll see I moved the canister under the tank? Take your foot out of your mouth?
I would also recommend switching the current configuration of your suction and discharge lines. The shorter the suction line the lesser pressure loss. Great review though, thank you sir.
It should make no difference! No matter where you put the filter the water reaches equilibrium in the two hoses. The extra velocity of having the filter lower will be canceled out by the extra head height of pumping higher..
Once the water starts to flow on its own the thing will re-prime itself even if the canister has been opened for maintenance. The trick is once the return lines have been filled, the syphon remains "locked" in the system. Although you have explained that the ridgid tubing that comes with the filter is undesirable, I have noticed that you replaced the brackets that holds both hoses securely to the aquarium with suction cups. I just hope for your well being that The suction doesn't ever break.... I just finished setting up my HW- 303B and honestly, I don't find anything really bad about the hardware parts of the filter. Even the suction cups that holds both tubes in place have a decent suction to them. I do like the idea of using just a 90° aftermarket PVC push-on fitting for the return line though. I was never a fan of spray bars as they seem to clog up some how. I have searched Amazon's website for an alternative hose clamp bracket and came across the Fluval mounting bracket used for their canister filter systems. They're really reliable and trustworthy as far as keeping the hoses in place. Just suggestion!
Another trick with the curled hoses. Use a hair dryer on heat to soften the hose, then lay them out straight. Let it cool completely... do this a couple times and it will "memory" the straight shape.
i have this filter i use a different uv light though each tray has something in it filter pad with media tubes, amonia remover next tray,of course charcoal , media balls ive had it now 3 months filters really well for a 36 bowfront nothing huge ive changed filter once so far ...when i bought this from amazon i also purchased 12 filter pads that work in it..kinda a bundle deal that amazon suggests what to get with total cost was 85$ not to bad decent filter so far next step diatom polisher. its gotta be below your tank though thats part of how they operate just a heads up
NPORT1981 That is the one I own and I have put miles on it! Shut it down for a few years pulled it out again and cranked her back up still seals great and is currently filtering my reef tank as a Bio media canister only in tandem with a fluval 406 that does the mechanical and chemical only together I have excellent filtration. I bought this filter from True Aqua online for 150 bucks to my door canadian and have said always the best 150 I have ever spent! The aquatop CF 500 UV filter 525 gallons with media is lower than that but this filter is a beast I had it on a 66 gallon, now is running 63 gallon reef aquarium. And I will soon referbish it with new trays and a light because I love this filter that much!.
black pipes are ugly but are actually better because light does not go through. With transparent tubing, algae will start to develop inside and you will have hard time cleaning them up. Your out take my be a good idea but I like the intake tubing that comes with the filter because it can be used to skim the water surface. Some people have to buy a dedicated protein skimmer. With this pump, you can adjust the intake pipe so that it sucks the water from the surface. If you have fish that eat frozen foods like worms, the food will create a layer of grease that needs to be sucked away.
Hey they make the tubing green that's because that is the only color that plants and Algae can't use to consume the right color spectrum to grow. A very big plus if you have Algae problems.
You may need to rock it in different direction when you start to up to remove all the air in the filter. When you no longer here the air you are all set.
I’m new to this hobby and just recently purchased the same model of filter. I haven’t used it yet because I want to use glass lily pipe set for water intake and outake. My concern is the size of the hose. Will any glass pipe fit with that size?
Mine takes hours(sometimes 4-15 hrs or more) to actually start pumping water out. And when I siphon it, water ends up leaking from outside of the filter. Any suggestions?
As far as the UV goes, I had one of these filters for 3 years (larger. 404b I think).. and I use it around once a month or two, for a day or two before re-applying MicroBacter. I use it to help kill off whatever is in there besides the "good" bacteria, and get as clean a start as I can. I have a few UV bulbs on my overhead too. I use it in a 50 gal. bow-front marine tank, as well as a good size HOB with a 320 lph. powerhead on a sponge as well. Obviously I use a protein skimmer too, since it's marine. Great results.. I stay at 0 nitrates without a sump. In the canister I keep mesh bags with crushed coral (PH buffer), "milk-bones" as I call them, ChemiPure Blue, 2 Purigen bags and filter pads with a sponge on top. I'm thinking of putting the bio balls that came with it in the HOB since they'll get at the air.
I'm having same problem with my 704b..after prime and rocking side to side to fet all air out. I'm still getting little micro bubbles..any fix for that?
I think you’ll find the straight pipe is meant to be a spray bar not intake. Also it’s been said but that Empty tray I’d fill it sponges or noodles if for nothing else than to have ready made cycled media for new tanks or a hospital tank any number of reasons to have spare media if nothing else it won’t hurt. Regards Duzzy from 🇦🇺
The solution of your air problem, if you haven't figured it out yet, is your canister had to below the tank. It is a gravity feed.. Definitely needs to sit below the intake at the very least. BTW, companies rate their filters with no media or sponges loaded.
the problem is the canister needs to sit lower. the siphon is not keeping up with the pump flow. ive had something similar happen to mine before. also the smaller oulet tubing would provide more pressure to circulate the tank as long as its not too small that it creates back pressure on the pump. with the floss tray i would add a sponge before floss so floss doesnt clog up too easy. and it would also acts as a bio filter at the same time.
3 to 4 ft below it would be just fine. It would be better then setting it right beside the tank like he’s doing in the video. All my stuff goes in the cabinet under the aquarium.
I would like to know how you did that flow test. I have bought 5 of the larger version of this filter 4 HW-304b's and 1 HW-404 they are on much bigger tanks and work fine using the included plumbing and fittings. There is a reason they use that smaller tubing. I doubt yours is actually sucking air, it takes a while to bleed all the air out of these filters.
Bass Player With the way he sounds and the way he’s set this filter up, I’d guarantee you he’s never tested anything and probably don’t know how to test it. Lol.
I cannot tell from this video if there is a rubber sealing ring where the top of the canister attaches to the base. If there is apply some plumbing silicone ("grease") to the sealing ring. This is also available at some pool supply stores too. This material will prolong the live of the rubber seal or O-rings. I've been using it routinely for over a decade now. I find that O-rings last longer and seal better. It's inexpensive too.
Jerm Inator it was a lot for the 40, a lot of current, plus the 40 is a much wider and deeper tank allowing for that current, but try it if you want, you can always add a valve to control flow.
Looks like an old video, I’m sure you changed this setup by now fixing the install issue. Canisters must be below the intake/over flow. Must move this below your tank, not an option.
what kind of lights do you use on that tank? It looks super nice. I'm pretty sure I'm going to get the sunsun 704b for my 75 gal ac tank. great video, very informative.
Hii, Thank you for the video. I have a situation, I got 14 Frontosa of size 7cms in my 200lt 4ft standard tank. Will this filter be the best or no? Or which would be the ideal for my situation as they are going to grow bigger 25cms approx. Please advice. Thank you very much,
